


The Force Captain

by bygoshbygolly



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Princess Bride Fusion, F/F, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-29
Updated: 2020-09-29
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:08:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,829
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26720422
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bygoshbygolly/pseuds/bygoshbygolly
Summary: Fighting. True Love. Hate. Bad women. Good women. Pain. Brave women. Winged horses. Giant swords. Lies. Truths. Passion. Miracles.When Catra's true love, Adora, is stolen from her by She-Ra, newest member of the feared Princess Rebellion, she makes it her goal to destroy the Princesses once and for all.A Princess Bride shaped retelling of She-Ra
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 75





	The Force Captain

**Author's Note:**

> I've wanted to write a Princess Bride AU for She-Ra since maybe just before s2, but I didn't start actually writing it until just before s5. It's been a long time coming and I've decided to be proud of it. It is very self-indulgent.
> 
> Notes at the end go a little more in-depth into writing process, if anyone is interested. They're also self-indulgent.

When Catra was born, the best Force Captain in the Horde was Max. He was seven feet tall and pike-thin. Those under his command said he was a tactical genius, and he never lost a man more than he meant to. Unfortunately, his battlefield tactics didn't translate to political strategy, and Hordak had him publicly executed for attempted insurrection. Now Max was mentioned only as a cautionary tale, if ever.

Catra, an infant, knew nothing about Max or the Horde and cared even less. Within her was the same potential for greatness as in any other child, and it was up to the world whether that potential was nurtured.

The day Adora promised Catra nothing bad could happen so long as they looked out for one another, the best Force Captain in the Horde was Fezza, who had four legs and a gift for all things mechanical. If she wasn't overly cruel, neither was she kind; her goal was maximum output for minimum effort. Fezza fought well for many years, until a poorly timed explosion ended her life.

Catra, at this point, had learned that if was often safer to stay away from Force Captains. Though she was Shadow Weaver's ward and received the same training as Adora, she knew already that she and Adora were different in some ways. Adora desperately wanted to become a Force Captain; Catra wasn't so sure.

When Catra turned ten, an occasion marked only by the difficulty levels increasing during training, the best Force Captain in the Horde was Huntara. She was the strongest captain anyone could remember, and her squad spoke well of her. One day, she was gone, and no one mentioned her again.

Catra didn't pay much attention to that; sometimes people disappeared, and that was that. Instead, she focused on causing trouble, and playing with Adora, and staying out of Shadow Weaver's way. Although most of the praise went to Adora, Catra was getting better at finding loopholes and using cunning to gain points. And even when things went wrong, Adora was there beside her, keeping her promise.

\------------------------------------------------

As the years went by, Catra's focus didn't change much. Nothing ever really changed in the Fright Zone; it was a life of endless routine, and there were times Catra felt she would go out of her mind with boredom. Wake up, shower, eat, train, practice, train, shower, eat, sleep. At least they were clean.

Really, who could blame Catra for wanting to liven things up a little? Adora certainly didn't seem to; sure, sometimes she would frown at Catra and say something about “growing up” or “responsibility” (Catra never really listened), but half the time she was laughing right there with her, and she was always there after.

Catra's life had been so much of the same, it took her a while to she realize somewhere along the line her priorities had shifted, and getting Adora to laugh was more important than it used to be. Before, making Adora laugh was something nice, a light feeling, reminding Catra there was somewhere she belonged. Now, it was a warm feeling, something fuzzy and deep that Catra didn't really understand but wanted more of. And there were moments Adora looked at her, when Catra had done something Adora wanted, triumphant and pleased, that made Catra wonder if Adora felt the same.

It didn't matter. It mattered a lot. She didn't know. She wasn't used to thinking so much about her feelings, and it made her irritable.

One night, when the thought of Adora's laughter tangled her head and stomach up in knots too tight to bear, Catra slipped from the dormitory and climbed to the highest point she could reach, determined not to come down until she stopped feeling like this.

Of course, it wasn't long before there was the sound of footsteps behind her and a soft “Catra?” Adora had followed her. Of course.

“What's wrong?” asked Adora, yawning.

“Nothing,” Catra replied. She didn't turn from where she was looking out at the glow of the Fright Zone.

Adora snorted.

“Sure,” she said, elbowing Catra. She rest her arms on the railing. The silence went on for several minutes, and Catra still didn't know why she felt like this, and Adora being there wasn't helping.

“It's your fault,” she spat, jumping down from the railing.

“What?” Adora turned in surprise. “What did I do?”

“I don't know!” Catra flexed her hands and turned her head so she wouldn't have to see Adora's stupid hair poof or uniform or the hurt expression on her face. “But I keep feeling weird around you, like I can't breathe, and I didn't do anything, so it has to be your fault.”

Adora laughed at that, just a little, and Catra's stomach turned over. With a growl, she stepped into Adora's space, grabbed her shirt, and pressed their mouths together. It wasn't what she'd planned on doing (she hadn't had a plan), but it felt right.

When she broke away, Adora smiled at her. She reached out a hand and touched Catra's hair, just behind her ear, just where Catra most liked to be touched.

“I love you, too,” she said.

Everything fell into place around that one word. Love. She'd never even considered-- but that didn't matter, because Adora had said she loved her, and Catra, she now realized, loved her as well, had loved her all this time.

“Ugh, stop smiling at me like that,” Catra grumbled. She didn't move away. Adora looked smug.

“Make me,” she replied, her face still so close.

So Catra did.

Catra, for the first time she could remember, was happy. Not all the time-- she still got jealous, got angry, got scared; love wasn't enough to break a lifetime's worth of living in the Fright Zone-- but where happiness used to be something momentary, now it was a steady presence. And any time she felt doubt creeping in, all she had to do was look at Adora, and the happiness would bubble up again.

Not much changed, on the outside. There were no public displays of affection amongst the cadets, beyond the usual roughhousing, and Catra couldn't shake the feeling that if Shadow Weaver found out, there would be hell to pay. She never could stand to see Catra have anything good. But there were smiles, and looks, and the way Catra slept next to Adora now instead of at her feet. There was laughter and finding empty places to kiss in. There was Adora's eagerness and her strong arms and the stupid look on her face after Catra kissed her.

It was the happiest she'd ever been. She should have known it couldn't last.

At seventeen, not long after Catra and Adora's first, fateful kiss, there was little question who the next great Force Captain would be. Still, Catra nurtured a tiny hope that maybe, this time, Shadow Weaver would see her instead of Adora. She loved Adora (she _loved_ her), but Catra had always been selfish and wanting and even if she didn't want to actually be a Force Captain, she still hoped...

It went to Adora, of course.

\------------------------------------------------

“You've been promoted?” Catra looked at the badge she'd snatched from Adora. Possibilities flickered through her head, all the things they could do now Adora was a Force Captain.

“Well, kind of,” Adora blushed. “I mean, yeah, I guess. Heh. Not a big deal.” She was such a dork, trying to play it cool like that.

“Are you kidding? That is awesome.” Catra leaped up, nearly giddy. They'd get out of the Fright Zone, the two of them. They'd make a world for themselves. “We'll see the world and conquer it.” A pause. “I need to blow something up.”

“Um.” No. Catra knew that tone.

“What?”

“Shadow Weaver says you're not coming.” Adora didn't look at her. Indignation burst in Catra's chest.

“What? My time was just as good as yours,” seethed Catra. Of course it was Shadow Weaver; she only cared about Adora. “What is her problem?”

“I mean, you are kind of disrespectful,” Adora said. She didn't say it to be mean-- most of the time she thought it was funny when Catra was disrespectful-- but it hurt. More than it usually would.

“Why should I respect her? She's just bitter that she doesn't have any real power not from Hordak.” She needed to leave, get away from Adora's earnestness and her own disappointment and this whole conversation. But not without a parting shot, to sting Adora as much as she'd been stung. “It must be easy being a people pleaser like you.”

“I am not a pe--” the indignation in Adora's voice vanished as Catra left, as fast as she could. “Catra, wait!”

Catra climbed higher.

Catra heard Adora climb up behind her.

“I'm sorry.” Adora's voice was gentle. “I didn't think you wanted to be a Force Captain.”

“I don't,” replied Catra. It wasn't entirely a lie, but she didn't know how to explain it to Adora. “Here, take your stupid badge.” She tossed it back. Adora came to stand next to her.

“Come on, Catra. This is what I have been working for my entire life. I was hoping you could be, I don't know, happy for me.” The hurt in Adora's voice sapped some of Catra's frustration. It wasn't Adora's fault Shadow Weaver was so awful.

“Whatever,” Catra groaned. “It's not like I care. I just wanna get out of this dump before I die of boredom.” Her and Adora, away from Shadow Weaver and the Horde-- that was what she really wanted. “I wonder what's outside the Fright Zone.”

There was a jingle.

“Why don't we go find out?”

Taking a skiff out on a joyride was probably the coolest thing Adora had ever done for Catra, besides kissing. Maybe.

“I take it back,” Catra yelled. “You're officially awesome!”

Adora laughed and tugged her hair.

They sailed through the night, whooping with laughter and grabbing the tiller from each other whenever they felt it was their turn to drive. Catra didn't think they had any destination in mind-- how could they, really, when all they'd ever known was the Fright Zone?-- the point was that they were free.

Adora looked at her, smiling, and brought the skiff to a halt.

“We need to save enough fuel so we can get back,” she said. Catra rolled her eyes.

“Spoilsport.” There wasn't any heat in it, though, not with Adora leaning close with that look in her eyes, like Catra was everything good.

Catra leaned in and kissed Adora, a long, slow kiss that left her feeling warm all over.

“I love you.” The first time she'd said it first. Adora's eyes widened.

“Woah, Catra, are you ok? Are you dying?” She put her hand to Catra's forehead, mock-concerned.

“Ugh, shut up,” said Catra, rolling her eyes and slapping Adora's hand away. “I was trying to be, you know, nice, seeing as you stole a skiff and everything for me.”

“I know.” Adora smiled and shuffled closer. “I love you too.” She paused and looked seriously at Catra. “You know I'm not going to abandon you, right? I'm gonna win tomorrow, and come back, and tell Shadow Weaver I could have done it better and faster with you and the team. And I'm gonna keep telling her until she lets you join me. And maybe if you at least look like you're trying harder, it won't even be that long. But no matter what, I'm not going to leave you behind. I promise.”

It was so much-- Adora's promotion, Shadow Weaver's insults, being outside the Fright Zone for the first time she could remember, this new promise-- Catra couldn't process it all at once. It scared her, which irritated her.

Catra grabbed the front of Adora's shirt and pulled her down into a fierce kiss.

Since the stars disappeared from Etheria, only a handful of kisses have been given top marks for passion, for purity, for intensity, and for duration. This one left them all behind.

\------------------------------------------------

The report from Thaymor came back. Force Captain Adora had gone ahead to assess the area and never returned. A Horde soldier disappearing before a battle was generally treated as desertion; this incident would have been no different were it not for two things: one, this was _Adora_ , and Shadow Weaver could not imagine a world where Adora was not loyal to her or the Horde; and two, this was the day the Rebellion unleashed its newest weapon: She-Ra. Reports said she was twelve feet tall and strong enough to crush a tank with a single punch. She came from the Forest, routed the Horde forces still awaiting their captain, and disappeared. Adora, good as she was, never would have stood a chance.

Shadow Weaver was furious. Lonnie, Rogelio, and Kyle were confused and upset. Catra disappeared for three days. Kyle swore he could hear her crying, but no one else heard a thing.

When the squad arrived at the locker room on the morning of the fourth day, Catra was there. They paused for a moment in the doorway, unsure, before Lonnie shrugged and went to her locker the way she did every day. Kyle and Rogelio followed.

“Hey, Catra, we're all real-” Kyle started. Catra's tail lashed.

“Don't.”

Kyle shrunk back with a squeak. Catra finished stretching and stood, facing away from them.

“I'm going to destroy the Princess Rebellion,” she said, and headed for the training room, leaving the rest of the squad behind.

From that day on, Catra was a model cadet. She was never late; never skipped training; stopped playing pranks. Her combat skills, never bad, became formidable. She cooperated with the rest of the cadets during training, but wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice one or all of them if she thought it would result in the destruction of the programmed princesses. Her focus was clear and unwavering; every new report of the Rebellion's successes only hardened it.

If she was more distant than she'd been before, less caring, that was her business.

Hordak did not often concern himself with the soldiers who made up his Horde, seeming to prefer to leave such work to Shadow Weaver. Still, it would be a poor leader who had no idea what was happening in the ranks. And so it was that one day, Catra found herself summoned to his sanctum.

When she arrived, Shadow Weaver stood outside the door.

“Catra,” greeted Shadow Weaver, disdain as evident as ever. They'd hardly spoken since Adora died. “I trust you haven't done anything to embarrass me.”

Catra's ears flattened. She hadn't thought she could be hurt anymore, but Shadow Weaver always had that power. It didn't matter that Catra had been as close to perfect as she could get for months. Maybe it never would.

“I don't know why I'm here any more than you do,” she replied. As she spoke, the door to Hordak's sanctum opened.

“Enter.”

Catra took a deep breath and raised her head high. She had nothing to be ashamed of, no matter what Shadow Weaver might think.

Catra kneeled as she reached the foot of the stairs leading to Hordak's throne. Beside her, Shadow Weaver bowed.

“My Lord Hordak,” she started.

“For many years, Shadow Weaver, I have allowed you to manage my armies,” said Hordak. “You have rarely failed me.” Catra saw her stiffen at the word 'rarely.' “And yet, you have not appointed a new Force Captain to replace the one that failed at Thaymor.”

Catra flinched.

“No one has proven worthy of such a promotion, my lord,” Shadow Weaver replied, her voice tight.

“My reports indicate this cadet has performed admirably.” 

“Catra? She has improved recently, yes, but she does not have the aptitude to be a Force Captain.”

“Cadet,” said Hordak, shifting his attention to Catra. “What would you do if I made you Force Captain?”

“Destroy the Princess Rebellion,” Catra answered immediately. “Lord Hordak.”

“For the Horde?”

_For Adora_ , Catra wanted to say. _For me_. But she wasn't stupid. This interview wasn't about her.

“For the Horde,” she replied.

“You are dismissed, Force Captain.”

“Yes, Lord Hordak.” Catra rose, one step closer to her goal.

Under Force Captain Catra, the Horde began to see their first victories against the Princess Rebellion. They attacked the edges of Rebellion territory, hitting several places at once to spread the Princesses' forces thin. They reclaimed Horde territory, gained resources, frustrated the Rebellion. 

It wasn't enough. She-Ra was powerful, and her presence at a fight inevitably lead to a Horde loss. If Catra was to destroy the Rebellion, she'd have to take out She-Ra first. And she dreamed about killing She-Ra, all the time. If it was the last thing she did, though, and there was the very real possibility it would be, Catra wanted to make sure there was no chance of the Rebellion recovering. Killing She-Ra wasn't the same thing as killing the Rebellion, and Catra needed both dead.

She wasn't alone. More often than not, Catra found herself working with Force Captain Scorpia, who was disarmingly friendly. Catra wasn't sure how she'd survived in the Horde this long, let alone become a Force Captain. She was glad she had, though. In the days after Adora's death, Catra had built a tower around her heart. She may never love again, but she liked Scorpia. They worked well together.

It was with Scorpia that Catra had her first major victory: the capture of Princess Entrapta.

“Capture” might actually be a strong word for what happened. After Catra and Scorpia fought hordes of robots to Entrapta's den in the center of the castle, Entrapta greeted them with a smile and asked if she could have a look at the tanks parked on the perimeter of Dryl. Then she talked to a fascinated, if not entirely comprehending, Scorpia about improvements the entire journey back to the Fright Zone.

The interrogation went similarly. Entrapta was incapable of sitting still, even when Catra restrained her, and cheerfully answered all questions posed to her. She thought Glimmer was the head of the Rebellion, and Glimmer's best friend was Bow, who was pretty good at inventing things. She-Ra? Her sword was First Ones tech, but she wouldn't let Entrapta take it apart to find out more. Entrapta wasn't really sure about the Rebellion's plans; they didn't invite her to meetings, or maybe they did, she lost track of time a lot. She answered every question, and gave them no useful information.

Catra bit back her fury, swallowed it down. This was a victory, it was-- they'd captured a member of the Rebellion, a Princess, and one who built weapons, who might build weapons for the Horde now, if they could convince her-- but it didn't feel the way she'd imagined it would. She'd imagined resistance, imagined making the princess hurt as much as Catra had been hurt, imagined some sort of relief.

She laughed. Of course even when things went right for her they went wrong. Story of her life.

\------------------------------------------------

The attack on the Fright Zone wasn't entirely unexpected. What was unexpected was how small the team was, and how far they got before anyone realized they were there. The rebels seemed to know, not only shift times and the location of security systems, but the layout of the interior. The former could be put down to good spying; the latter was more concerning.

As soon as Catra heard the alert, she went to Entrapta's cell/lab. If rebels were here, there was a good chance it was to stage a rescue. This could be her opportunity to strike a real blow to the Princess Rebellion.

“Catra!” Scorpia ran over as soon as Catra entered. “What's going on?”

“Princesses are here,” replied Catra quietly, shooting a look at Entrapta, who was currently elbows deep in a bot. “They're probably coming for Entrapta. We'll be ready when they do. Entrapta!” She raised her voice. “How do you feel about giving your new bots a test drive?”

“I should probably run more tests,” said Entrapta, pushing her goggles onto her forehead. “But I'm pretty sure I fixed the issue that was making them explode, so sure! I can gather more data.”

“Excellent.” Catra smiled.

It wasn't long until the rebels appeared, poofing into the room in a shower of sparkles. There were indeed three of them: a short sparkly girl, a boy in a too-short shirt, and her. She-Ra.

No sooner had they appeared than a bot fired at them, making the rebels scatter.

“Sorry!” Entrapta yelled. “I didn't realize it was you! What are you guys doing here?”

“This is a rescue mission!” the boy replied, firing an arrow at a bot. 

“Oh, neat! Who are you rescuing?”

Catra crept along the side of the room, nearly dizzy with anticipation. All thoughts of saving She-Ra's death for last were gone. Her revenge was so close.

She-Ra turned. Their eyes locked.

“Catra!”

Catra's blood ran cold. It wasn't that She-Ra apparently knew her name, but the way she said it that was terrifying. There was no anger, none of the bloodlust Catra herself had been feeling until that moment. She-Ra called her name like Catra was an old friend; there was hope in her voice. There was love.

Catra, stricken, fled.

“Catra!”

Catra flinched, but it was only Scorpia, running beside her.

“Are you okay?” Scorpia asked. “Is this part of the plan?”

Catra didn't have a plan.

“Yeah,” she replied. Scorpia smiled. A glittering burst of energy shot past them, and they turned around to see She-Ra and Sparkles closing in.

“Hey! Catra!” She-Ra called again. Catra's gut tightened. Scorpia shifted, partially blocking Catra from view as the four of them faced down.

Scorpia held her tail poised and ready to strike; Sparkles clenched her fists; She-Ra stared at Catra. She took a step forward; Catra stepped back.

She-Ra shot a glance at her friend, who sighed.

“Go on. I'll take care of Pinchy here.”

She-Ra smiled, ran forward, and jumped, sailing over Scorpia's head; Catra was already running.

The anger was back. Catra thought fast, briefly contemplating leading She-Ra to Shadow Weaver's chamber before discarding that idea. She had no interest in sharing her revenge. Instead, she made her way higher and higher, squeezing her way through narrow sections of machinery and tipping over crates, chairs, cadets. She was fast, but She-Ra was too, and Catra wouldn't let herself get caught. 

In the back of her mind, she noticed the lack of hesitation in She-Ra, and how the princess seemed to know just where and when to duck and jump.

She slammed through the door leading to the roof and banged it shut behind her. She-Ra followed several seconds later. Catra leaped onto her back, slashing at her face and neck.

“Catra! Stop!”

“Stop saying my name!” Catra cried. She vaulted over She-Ra's shoulders to land in front of her, teeth bared. “I'm going to kill you for what you did.”

“What?” She-Ra looked confused. She hadn't yet used the giant sword she was carrying. “What did I do?”

Catra laughed.

“Of course. You probably don't remember. How many Horde soldiers have you killed? Still, she was one of the first. I guess I thought you might remember that.” She circled as she spoke, moving so She-Ra's back was to the edge of the rooftop.

“What are you talking about?”

This time, Catra's laugh was closer to a sob.

“I might as well tell you, seeing as I'm going to kill you.” Catra darted forward and grabbed the front of She-Ra's shirt. “Her name was Adora.” With that, she shoved She-Ra over the edge of the roof.

There was a yell, a flash, and a thud. Catra must have pushed her off the side of the tower that had platforms down it. Shame. Then she heard a familiar voice saying “Owwww.”

Catra looked over the edge. There, rubbing her head and pouting, was-

“Adora!”

She leaped down onto the platform and slammed into Adora.

For a moment they just looked at each other, drinking in the other's face after so long. The tower Catra had built around her heart began to crumble. Then they were kissing, and she wasn't sure if the dampness on her cheeks was from Adora's tears or her own. 

“I thought you were dead,” Catra murmured, tucking her face into Adora's neck. Then. “I thought you were _dead_ ,” she repeated, anger creeping into her voice.

“Catra-”

“You promised you'd come back! And instead, what, you join the princesses? Couldn't wait to leave?”

“No, that's not what happened.” Adora frowned, frustrated. “I was going to come back. I did. I mean, I'm here now, right? But it's complicated.”

Catra snorted.

“Ugh, I almost forgot how impossible you are,” Adora groaned. She took Catra's hand. “Can we go somewhere else? Please? I really don't want Shadow Weaver to catch me here.”

Angry as she was, Catra didn't want Shadow Weaver to see Adora either. 

“I'm not going anywhere near any palaces or castles,” she warned.

Adora rolled her eyes.

“Fine.” She put two fingers in her mouth and whistled. Several moments later, a gigantic winged beast dropped out of the sky. Catra shrieked and moved behind Adora, who laughed.

“Did someone say Swift Wind?” the beast cried.

“Hey, Swifty,” said Adora warmly. “Can you get us out of here?”

“Sure thing!” The creature craned its head to look around Adora. “Who's this?”

“What is that?” Catra demanded. She bared her teeth and hissed.

“Catra.” Adora took Catra's hand and pulled her forward. “This is Swift Wind. He's my friend. And a horse.”

“Hi!”

“Swifty, this is Catra.”

“Ohhhh,” Swift Wind replied in a knowing voice. “Catra.”

Below them came the sound of cannons and shouting.

“We need to get out of here,” said Adora. She jumped onto Swift Wind's back and held her hand out to Catra. Catra looked doubtfully at Swift Wind, then at Adora; with a grumble, she took Adora's hand and allowed herself to be pulled up behind her.

Swift Wind took off, and Catra tightened her hold on Adora, who looked back at her with the smile she always wore when she made fun of Catra.

“If you say anything, I'll jump,” she threatened. Adora laughed and Catra couldn't help but smile. She rest her head against Adora's back, closed her eyes, and listened to the sound of Adora's breathing, the faint beat of her heart; she breathed in her smell. It was almost like Adora had never left.

Eventually, though, Swift Wind started to descend, and Catra opened her eyes.

“The Whispering Woods?” she asked.

“It's not as bad as we were taught,” Adora replied. “Mostly.”

“Great.”

“You're not _scared_ , are you Catra?” 

“No!” She wasn't. There'd just been enough surprises today.

“Don't worry; I'll protect you,” Adora teased. Swift Wind touched down in a clearing. Catra slid off and prowled around the edge of the trees, sniffing the unfamiliar air and freezing every time she heard a sound. By the time Adora had finished talking to her horse and sent him flying, Catra had picked a rock to make herself comfortable on.

“Swift Wind is going to meet Glimmer and Bow to let them know I'm ok,” Adora said, coming to sit next to Catra. “Don't want them to worry.”

“Wish you'd have let _me_ know you were ok,” Catra couldn't help but say. Adora's face fell.

“I told you, it's complicated. But I thought of you; I thought of you every single day. I missed you so much.” She put her hand over Catra's. “And I came back. For you.”

“Just-” Catra's throat tightened. She was still angry, but she didn't want to ruin the way Adora was looking at her. “Just tell me what happened.” She'd figure out how mad to be after.

Adora took a deep breath.

“Right. So, that first day, I told them I was going ahead to scout. And I was! But I also just wanted to look around, you know? We spent our whole lives in the Fright Zone. So I went ahead into, well, here. The Whispering Woods, I mean. And I was looking for rebels, but it also felt like I was being drawn somewhere. That's where I found this,” Adora hefted her sword. “It was...calling to me.”

Catra rolled her eyes. Adora glared.

“I don't know how else to explain it, ok! It was calling to me, and I touched it, and I saw _everything_. All of Etheria, and the princesses, and what the Horde was doing.” She leaned forward, earnestly. “Catra, the Horde is evil.”

“Uh, yeah.” Catra shrugged. “They've been manipulating us our whole lives.”

“So you know why I couldn't go back.”

“No! I don't!” They stared at each other. “None of that matters as long as we have each other. That's what we've always said, right?”

“I couldn't go back and destroy Thaymor, Catra. It would have been wrong.”

“So you joined the princesses,” said Catra flatly. _It would have been wrong_ ; the words repeated themselves in her head, translating to the cold, judgmental _You're wrong_. She shook her head to clear it. She'd promised herself she'd let Adora finish.

“Kind of.” Adora scratched the back of her neck. “You probably know about what happened in Thaymor...”

She told Catra about turning into She-Ra, meeting Glimmer and Bow, fighting the Horde and winning, the excitement the three of them felt. Then how she turned back, and that excitement changed to anger and suspicion. How she went back with them to Bright Moon, to try and prove she could be trusted, as Adora as well as She-Ra. She told Catra about the spare room, how she wasn't allowed to go anywhere without Glimmer and Bow, about discovering Light Hope and Swift Wind and her destiny. How she made friends and built trust.

How every day she asked if she could go back to the Fright Zone, for love, and was denied. Until one day, she wasn't.

“I mean, it didn't help that you were a Force Captain, and really seemed to hate princesses,” Adora finished. “But I told them you're the best person I know.”

“I do hate princesses,” said Catra. It likely wasn't the right thing to say, after everything Adora told her, but it was the first thing she thought of. 

“What?” Adora blinked.

“They took you away! You just told me they kept you prisoner.” Catra stood up, fists clenched and tail lashing.

“I mean, it wasn't much of a prison,” scoffed Adora. “Not like we had back home. I could have left any time I wanted.”

“Then why didn't you?” Catra could feel tears prickling at the corners of her eyes; she blinked them away. “Why didn't you come back to me?”

“It's- I promised them I wouldn't! I needed them to trust me.” Adora spread her hands. “I came back as soon as I could. I knew you would be all right.”

“Well, I wasn't,” spat Catra. “I thought you were dead.”

Adora looked stricken.

“Catra, I'm s--”

“Whatever,” Catra cut her off. She didn't want to hear an apology. She took a deep breath and smoothed her hair. “It's fine.” She tried smiling. “Really. You came back, right?”

Adora stood and cupped Catra's face, looking into her eyes.

“I love you,” she said. “I thought of you every day. I missed you.”

And maybe that was all Catra needed to hear, that with all these changes and new information, that this one thing still held true; amidst the tangle of conflicting emotions, she could hold on to Adora's love as a lifeline. Her anger and feelings of betrayal faded into the background. She softened.

“I know, dummy,” she replied. “I love you too.” She leaned in and kissed Adora.

They walked through the Whispering Wood. Catra told Adora about her promotion, and other stories about what she'd been doing and people they knew. She skimmed over her worst failures and exaggerated some of her victories, and she never mentioned those first days she thought Adora was dead.

She was finishing a story about one of Entrapta's many explosions when she became aware of something crashing through the trees. Her ears flicked, and she spun around, claws out, teeth bared.

“What is it?” Adora asked, taking her sword out of its harness. A moment later, a massive boar with too many eyes burst through the trees, heading right at them.

Catra leaped to the side with a snarl and slashed at the creature's back with her claws. Adora shouted something and there was a sudden blaze of light. When it faded and Catra could see properly again, there stood She-Ra.

She'd never seen her up close. She glowed, and, despite the great hair and muscles, looked kind of ridiculous. Catra scanned She-Ra's face, looking for Adora, finding only traces of the face she loved.

She-Ra pointed her sword at the boar, which stopped dead. She lowered her sword, slowly, and stepped forward, hand outstretched. Catra tensed, ready to leap in if the boar charged, but it just snuffled gently until She-Ra's hand landed on its snout. It went still, and it and She-Ra appeared briefly suffused with a gentle light. She lifted her hand, and the boar blinked, turned, and ambled away.

“What was that?”

She-Ra looked embarrassed, and that, there, was Adora.

“It's just something I can do, now,” said She-Ra. There was another flash of light, and she was Adora again.

Catra squinted at her.

“What?” Adora looked around.

“Is it just me, or is She-Ra's hair better?” Catra commented. 

“No, it is,” said Adora wistfully, touching her ponytail. Catra rolled her eyes and wrestled her into a headlock.

“I guess I'd miss your stupid hair poof, though,” she said, flicking said hair poof. Adora squawked and shoved Catra. They wrestled each other to the ground, laughing.

“So, where are we going, anyway?” Catra asked. It felt like they'd been walking for hours, and while it was nice being with Adora, away from the Fright Zone, she was getting a little bored.

“I have no idea,” replied Adora cheerfully. Catra stopped.

“Wait, what?”

“I'm pretty sure the woods move around when you're not looking, so it's super easy to get lost. I was going to call Swift Wind to take us back to Bright Moon.”

With that, the bubble of contentedness Catra was in burst. Her emotions began to roil again; she tried to press them down, recapture the good feeling of before. The idea of being around princesses made her skin crawl, but Adora didn't think they were so bad. Maybe it would be all right. Maybe.

“Do we-” she started.

“Oh, hey! I think we've reached the edge!” Adora pointed at the thinning trees, not having heard Catra.

Catra sighed. She'd figure it out; she was good at that.

They walked out of the Whispering Woods.

“Hello, Force Captain,” said Shadow Weaver.

\------------------------------------------------

Catra froze. Next to her, Adora gasped. Shadow Weaver's eyes widened.

“Adora,” she said. “I thought you were dead.” She continued, her voice hardening, “Now I see you deserted; after all I did for you.”

Catra laughed, loudly, obnoxiously.

“Oh wow, Shadow Weaver, how does it feel to be so wrong?” Her mind raced, trying to come up with something to say that wouldn't end in unimaginable pain for her or Adora. Adora had diverted Shadow Weaver's attention from her when they were kids; Catra never thought she'd have to do the same for her.

“ _Your_ desertion, Catra, was hardly unexpected,” Shadow Weaver said, glaring at Catra. “I did tell Lord Hordak you were unworthy of being Force Captain. I will have to make an example of the both of you.”

Adora reached for her sword, but Catra beat her to it. She yanked it out of the sheath and stepped toward Shadow Weaver.

“Adora didn't desert, Shadow Weaver,” said Catra, radiating righteous indignation. “She was kidnapped by princesses; she's been held captive all this time. But she escaped, and she managed to steal She-Ra's sword.”

“Catra?” Adora sounded hurt. Catra didn't look back.

“Indeed?” Shadow Weaver sounded skeptical.

“How else do you think she'd manage to get this?” Catra lifted the sword. “Come on, let's get back to the Fright Zone before She-Ra comes to take it back.”

It was clear that Shadow Weaver was skeptical, but she summoned her magic anyway. It pooled at her feet in a wide disc, dark and faintly diseased-looking. Catra took a breath, and stepped onto the disc. Shadow Weaver took the sword from her.

“No!”

Catra turned in time to see a tendril of Shadow Weaver's magic wrap around Adora's legs, flowing upwards and cocooning her. Her face was the last part of her enveloped, and Catra winced at the anger and betrayal she saw there.

It was fine, she told herself. She was protecting Adora; even She-Ra would struggle against Shadow Weaver's magic. Catra had seen what that magic could do, other examples that had been made, and she didn't want that for Adora. All Catra needed was for Adora to be safe, just for this moment, so Catra could figure out how to keep her safe the next. It wasn't perfect, but what was? Adora would forgive her.

Shadow Weaver activated the transportation spell.

And if Adora didn't forgive her, well, Catra had lived without her love before. She could do it again.

“Catra!” Scorpia picked her up in a giant hug. “I'm so happy you're safe! I was so worried after She-Ra kidnapped you.”

Catra wriggled out of Scorpia's hold.

“Get off of me,” she grumbled.

“Man, it's a good thing Shadow Weaver can track our badges,” continued Scorpia, “otherwise who knows what might have happened.”

Catra went cold. Of course. She _knew_ Shadow Weaver could track their badges; why hadn't she taken hers off? She'd forgotten in the shock and thrill of being reunited with Adora. She hadn't anticipated everything-- or anything-- that had happened, and it had happened so quickly, how was she supposed to remember such a small detail?

Unless she did it on purpose, part of her whispered. Unless she wanted a situation where Adora would have to come back to the Fright Zone, so things could go back to normal.

“Catra? Are you ok?” Scorpia asked, frowning.

“I'm fine,” snapped Catra. Scorpia's face fell.

“Oh. Good,” she said. Then she brightened. “Hey, we should let Entrapta know you're back!”

“Entrapta's still here?”

“Yeah!” Scorpia laughed. “She said it was good to see her friends, but all her work was here, so she wanted to stay. At least, that's what she told me after the sparkly girl and her friend disappeared.”

“That's good to hear,” said Catra. If Entrapta was still here, then the Princesses might come back for another rescue attempt. They were persistent like that. All she had to do when that happened was let them know Adora was here, too, and they'd take her away from Shadow Weaver. 

Away from Catra.

Ok, so the plan needed work, but it was something. Catra knew better than to think Adora would just come back to the Horde. She thought she had a destiny, that she was fighting for justice. The moment Shadow Weaver realized Adora was a traitor, she'd punish her; and Adora was a terrible liar, so that moment wouldn't be far off. 

“Hey,” Scorpia said softly. Catra turned to her; Scorpia's face was so full of concern Catra had to look away. “If you ever want to talk, about anything, I'm here.”

Catra punched Scorpia in the arm, overwhelmed.

“Let's go make sure Entrapta doesn't blow anything up.” 

\------------------------------------------------

It was two days before Catra saw Adora again. All attempts to enter Shadow Weaver's rooms were thwarted, and Catra realized she'd have to find another way in. Luckily, Entrapta had thoroughly mapped the air duct system, and was only too happy to provide directions.

Catra found Adora strapped to a table in the crystal chamber. Her heart purred at that first sight of her, the way it always did, before she noticed how pale Adora was, how still. Adora was never still.

Catra slipped out of the vent. 

“Adora?” She touched Adora's shoulder. Adora groaned, but didn't wake. Catra bit back a yell of frustration. “Adora.” She shook her roughly.

“Catra?” Adora mumbled. She didn't open her eyes, but she turned her face into Catra's touch. “Shadow Weaver...my sword...” She fell still again.

Catra looked around the chamber; the sword lay on a table by the crystal. It may have been the light from the crystal, but the sword looked different somehow. Darker.

She turned back to Adora. If it weren't for the shallow rise and fall of Adora's chest, she might have been dead. Any hopes Catra may have had of breaking Adora free, of the two of them escaping now, together, disappeared. They'd both have to wait for the princesses now.

Catra took a moment to fix Adora's hair poof, and climbed back into the vent.

There was a shower of sparkles as the princesses appeared, again, in Entrapta's lab.

“Finally,” Catra said. “Took you long enough to get here.”

“We're here to rescue Adora,” said Sparkles fiercely.

“Yeah,” Catra replied. “Obviously.”

“Hi guys!” Entrapta called.

“Wait, what's going on?” Scorpia looked from the princesses to Catra and back again.

“We're rescuing Adora!” the archer boy answered. “Also, Entrapta, are you sure you don't want to come back with us?”

“No thanks,” replied Entrapta cheerfully. “I just found the coolest lab; it looks like someone's making a por-”

“Adora's in the gem chamber,” Catra interrupted. “I can show you where it is, but we need to hurry. You wasted enough time getting here already.”

Sparkles and the boy looked annoyed, but they nodded.

“Catra?” Scorpia asked, uncertain. Catra stepped toward her, hand on her stun stick.

“They're going to get Adora out of here, and we're going to let them,” she said. “Because Shadow Weaver is hurting her, and if you get in my way I will destroy you and send the remains to Beast Island.”

“How can I help?”

Catra blinked.

“What?”

“How can I help?” repeated Scorpia. “I'm your friend, remember? Friends help each other. Besides,” she continued with a small, sad smile, “it seems like you really care about Adora.”

Catra looked away.

“Thanks,” she said.

“Awwww,” cooed the boy. “That's so sweet. But also, we should probably go.”

“Right!” Scorpia clapped her claws together. “I can go distract Shadow Weaver. I have some questions I've been meaning to ask anyway, but, you know, she's kinda...scary.”

“I'll show Sparkles and Crop Top here where Shadow Weaver's keeping Adora,” said Catra.

“Oh, oh, can I do anything?” Entrapta bounced in place.

There was a pause. Catra thought.

“In ten minutes, make something explode,” she suggested.

Entrapta grinned.

“You better not betray us,” Spark- Glimmer hissed. For the fourth time.

“If you say that again I might just change my mind,” retorted Catra, her tail lashing.

“Hey, come on now,” said Bow. “Glimmer doesn't really mean it; it's just weird, you know, to be working with the Horde instead of fighting you.”

“Yeah, well, it's weird for me too.” They were almost to the crystal chamber. “But Adora needs to get out of here, so I guess we're stuck.”

“She really loves you, you know,” Bow said with a smile.

“Yeah, she never shuts up about you,” added Glimmer.

“You shut up,” Catra muttered. Her face was hot, but she was pleased. Adora had told her she thought about her every day, but she couldn't help the way her heart beat faster to hear it confirmed. “We're almost there.”

They stopped just around the corner from the crystal chamber.

“She's in there,” whispered Catra. “You have to be quick; Shadow Weaver could show up any moment.”

“I thought Scorpia was supposed to be distracting her?” Glimmer frowned.

“Scorpia's not exactly subtle, and I don't put it past Shadow Weaver not to have some kind of magic detection spell that will let her know if Adora leaves. I don't put anything past her.”

“Ok, well, it would have been nice to know about a possible magic detection spell before, but thanks, Catra,” Bow said. “We'll be fast.” He hesitated. “Are you sure you don't want to come with us?”

Catra snorted.

“I doubt your princesses would be happy to have another Horde soldier around. Besides,” she continued, sadness coloring her voice, “I don't even know if Adora would want me there, after what I did.”

Bow and Glimmer exchanged a disbelieving glance, but didn't say anything. Glimmer put her hand on Bow's shoulder.

“Wait!” Catra burst out. She'd been wrestling with whether or not she would tell them. “Adora's sword is on the other side of the chamber. I think Shadow Weaver's been messing with it. You probably want to get that, too.”

Bow and Glimmer nodded, then vanished in a cloud of sparkles. Catra turned and headed back to Entrapta's lab as quickly as possible.

She almost hadn't told them about the sword. They'd come to rescue Adora, they said. _Adora_ , not She-Ra. In the end, though, Catra didn't believe Adora would be welcome in the Rebellion without her stupid magic sword. She needed Adora safe, which meant she couldn't stay in the Fright Zone, and she would be safer if the Rebellion thought she was valuable.

At least, she'd be safe until she became She-Ra again, fighting battles that weren't hers. Without the sword, Adora was just herself, the girl Catra loved. She didn't have a stupid destiny or lead the Princesses' battles. 

The sword had saved Adora's life. And it had, as far as Catra was concerned, ruined it.

Catra reached Entrapta's lab just as there was a loud boom, and the explosion blew all her worries from her head.

\------------------------------------------------

Of course Shadow Weaver would suspect Catra was involved as soon as she realized Adora was gone. She never passed up a chance to blame Catra for anything, and this time she had more cause than most. That was why Catra had asked Entrapta to make something explode-- how could she have been making Adora disappear when she was with Entrapta, getting blown up?

Catra didn't expect Shadow Weaver to buy it, but she hoped it was enough to convince Hordak. Not even She-Ra would be able to save her from Beast Island, or from Shadow Weaver's magic.

Being thrown into a cell wasn't the worst outcome she'd imagined. Maybe it was even better this way; Adora could focus on being a Princess and fighting her war, without having to deal with the awkwardness of bringing another Horde soldier in.

No. That was stupid. Adora had never given up on her, had come back for her. So Catra wouldn't give up on Adora. She'd come for Catra, and they'd be together again, because that was love. Let those prissy princesses scowl and whisper. It wasn't them Catra cared about.

Thus armored, Catra was ready to withstand Shadow Weaver's questioning.

“Where is Adora?” Shadow Weaver hissed. Catra had lost track of how many times this had happened. When the bolt of energy hit her, she rolled her eyes into her head and dreamed of better times.

_As long as we're together, nothing bad can really happen._  
-  
 _The first time Adora kissed her._  
-  
 _That last night, before everything changed._  
-  
 _Seeing Adora again._

The pain was intense, but Catra had lived with the pain of thinking Adora was dead. She would survive this, too.

“Catra,” sighed Shadow Weaver. “I wish you wouldn't make me do this. Just tell me where Adora is.”

Catra coughed out a laugh.

“Come on, Shadow Weaver. We both know you're loving this.”

“You presume much, Catra,” Shadow Weaver replied, and hit her again.

“I don't know where Adora is,” spat Catra. It was the truth; she had a very good idea where Adora was, but she didn't know for certain. “And it's not my fault you lost her.” That was a lie.

“I know it was you,” said Shadow Weaver. “You think I didn't know about you and Adora? Your little _romance_?”

Catra flinched.

“Do you really think Adora would want this for you?” Shadow Weaver continued. “Tell me where she is, and we can be a family again.”

“Seriously?” It hurt to laugh. “A family? It's like you're not even trying. Adora's my family. You're-” Catra faltered. What was Shadow Weaver to her? “You're my boss.”

“I'm hurt,” replied Shadow Weaver blandly. She hit Catra with another bolt of magic.

“Hey, I bought you something.” Scorpia stood awkwardly by Catra's cell. “It should help you sleep. I, uh, I noticed you hadn't been doing that much. Lately.” She turned red.

“You shouldn't have,” said Catra tiredly. She took the vial Scorpia gave her and unscrewed the top.

Scorpia beamed.

“No, you really shouldn't have,” Catra repeated. She drank the contents of the vial. “Trust me, you do not want to draw Shadow Weaver's attention.”

“Oh! I think I might kinda already have it. She keeps telling me stories about Horde soldiers who 'made mistakes' and ended up dead. Or sent to Beast Island.” Scorpia made a face. “It feels like she thinks I'm stupid.”

“She's the worst.” said Catra. She yawned; the medicine Scorpia bought her worked quickly.

“I'm going to get you out of here,” Scorpia promised. Her face was set. 

“Don't worry about it. Adora's coming back for me.” Catra was half asleep now.

“Really?” Scorpia blinked.

It was an understandable question, considering everything. Still, Catra felt a twinge of irritation.

“She _is_ ,” she insisted, her tail twitching. “I know it.” Sleep pulled her down. “She's coming back.”

\------------------------------------------------

The princesses, when they returned to the Fright Zone, were just as subtle as they'd been the first time. Alarms blared and soldiers ran the halls, searching for the intruders. She-Ra appeared here and there, though never for very long.

Glimmer, Bow, and Adora battered their way through the Horde soldiers, disappearing and reappearing seemingly at random. 

Catra, alone in her cell, heard the noise and laughed.

“Catra!”

Catra pressed herself against the force field of her cell to see Adora racing toward her.

“Hey, Adora,” she said, trying to sound nonchalant. Further down, she could see Glimmer, Bow, and Scorpia. Good.

Adora pulled up outside the cell, staring at her.

“Hey,” she said.

“Hey,” replied Catra. They both smiled.

“Adora! Stop making googly-eyes at your girlfriend; we gotta move!” Glimmer yelled, jolting them out of their reverie. 

“Right!” Adora stood back and looked at the control panel for the cell. She frowned, and then swung her sword, destroying the panel and causing the force field to disappear.

“Took you long enough,” Catra said.

“I came as soon as I could!” Adora retorted. “I was always coming back.”

Catra cupped her cheek.

“I know,” she replied. 

They kissed.

“Hey, are you guys listening to me?” Glimmer cried. “We have to go!”

Catra and Adora broke apart.

“I only have one more jump, and I've never done this with four people before,” continued Glimmer. “If this goes wrong, you have to be ready.”

“You should go without us,” said Adora. “Catra and I will meet up with Swift Wind.”

“Scorpia, you should go with them,” Catra said.

Everyone turned to stare at Scorpia, who blushed.

“What? Me? I- I don't know about that.”

“Come on,” replied Catra. “It can't be worse than here, right? Besides, I could use someone who isn't a Princess to talk to.” This was selfish of her, asking Scorpia to come, but she didn't care. She'd only ever had Adora, only ever wanted Adora, but now Adora had other friends. Catra found she wanted that, too.

“I'm not a Princess,” Bow chimed, just as Scorpia said-

“I'm kind of a Princess, actually.”

“What?” The other four stared at her in surprise. She blushed and laughed nervously.

At the far end of the hall came a yell of alarm. 

“Ok, I really want to understand how a Princess became a Horde soldier, but we should probably do that another time,” said Bow. Glimmer put a hand on his shoulder and one of Scorpia's claws.

“We'll talk about this later,” promised Catra. Scorpia nodded.

“Sounds good.”

“Can't wait to tell my mom I brought back another Horde soldier,” Glimmer muttered, and the three of them disappeared in a shower of sparkles.

“Let's go,” said Adora. She took Catra's hand, and the two of them ran through the halls.

“Don't get me wrong, I like you a lot better, but wouldn't it be easier if you turned into She-Ra?” Catra grunted. They'd run into another group of Horde soldiers, and were currently fighting their way through.

“Uh. I kinda can't turn into She-Ra right now,” admitted Adora. Catra narrowly dodged a stun-stick and hissed. “I mean, I can! Just not for very long. Shadow Weaver did something to me, or my sword, or both of us. Light Hope is working on a cure; she didn't want me leaving until she figured it out, but it was taking too long. I had to come back for you.”

“Oh.” Catra couldn't help the jolt of relief she felt, or the thought _What if it never gets fixed?_ “Well, that sucks.”

Adora laughed.

“Yeah.”

They were nearly to the highest point of the building when the shadows swirled and surged, rushing from the walls to tangle around Catra and Adora. They struggled, but the shadows simply wrapped tighter around them.

“Going somewhere?” asked Shadow Weaver, stepping into view.

Catra hissed. She should have known Shadow Weaver would be around, but she'd hoped that this time, maybe it would be that easy.

“Adora, you disappoint me,” Shadow Weaver said. “After everything I've done for you.”

Adora scowled. Catra laughed bitterly.

“Everything you've done for her? Come on, Shadow Weaver, we all know everything you've done has always been for you.”

“Silence!” Shadow Weaver gestured, and a tendril of shadow slithered over Catra's mouth. “Come now, Adora,” continued Shadow Weaver, her tone shifting to something sweet and disappointed. “I took you in, raised you. Come back to me, and we can forget this betrayal ever happened.”

“No,” Adora replied. “Catra's right. Our whole lives, you lied to us, and I can't believe how long it took me to see it. You and Hordak used us, all of us. But I'm going to stop you.”

Shadow Weaver's eyes narrowed.

“We'll see about that.” She raised her arms, and the shadows tightened further around Catra and Adora, strangling them. Catra clawed at the shadows, shredding them, but they only reconstituted themselves and squeezed tighter than before. Adora had managed to draw her sword, but the shadows wrapped around it so she couldn't swing it.

“Adora,” Catra gasped. She felt heavy and slow; her thoughts felt fuzzy and her eyesight blurred. She locked eyes with her, saw Adora's eyes, the only clear thing now, widen and then harden. Catra smiled as her vision went dark.

She knew that look.

“For the honor of Greyskull!” Adora cried. There was a flash of light and, a moment later, the pressure around Catra's throat disappeared. She fell to her knees and gulped in air as She-Ra swung her sword at Shadow Weaver.

Shadow Weaver shoved her hands out, creating a shield that deflected the sword's blow.

“Stop hurting people!” She-Ra let her sword fall to her side as she punched Shadow Weaver's shield. Shadow Weaver took a step back.

“Foolish child,” Shadow Weaver hissed. She twisted her wrist, and a tendril of magic swiped at She-Ra. It hit her across the face; she grunted as her head snapped to the side. “You understand nothing.”

Catra got to her feet. Every breath hurt, scraped against her raw throat. She extended her claws and stood, frozen. Every instinct she had screamed at her to run, leave Adora and protect herself, but she couldn't. And she couldn't make herself join the fight. So she stood, angry and scared, waiting for something to happen.

“I _understand_ you and Hordak lied to us,” growled She-Ra. She punched at Shadow Weaver again. “I _understand_ that you've ruined countless people's lives.” Another punch. “And I _understand_ that I'm going to stop you.” With this, she jumped, bringing her sword down to strike Shadow Weaver's head.

At the last moment, she pulled her blow. The edge of her sword hit Shadow Weaver's mask; it shattered.

“No!” Shadow Weaver shrieked. She covered her face, trying to keep the pieces of her mask together.

She-Ra stood in front of her, her eyes sad. Catra came and stood next to her and took her free hand; it was a little awkward with She-Ra being so tall.

“Catra and I are leaving,” She-Ra said quietly. “I hope we never see you again.” She turned and walked away. Catra went with her, but couldn't resist turning around to stick her tongue out at Shadow Weaver one last time.

“I thought you couldn't turn into She-Ra,” Catra said. Adora smiled at her and then staggered as she shifted back into her old self.

“I guess there's still something wrong,” she replied, putting a hand on Catra's shoulder to steady herself. “But I wasn't about to let Shadow Weaver kill you.”

“Idiot,” said Catra fondly. She pulled Adora's arm over her shoulder and half-carried her up the stairs. “Don't pass out on me, ok? You need to call your flying monster.”

“Swift Wind is majestic,” Adora protested. Catra snorted. Adora headbutt her in retaliation, and they both broke into laughter.

Catra held tight to Adora, making sure neither of them fell off Swift Wind. She was quiet, half-listening to Swift Wind and Adora as they talked about what had happened, about what Swift Wind had been up to, about the Princesses.

“Yeah!” Adora said, suddenly enthusiastic. “Catra, have you heard of parties? They're amazing. There's different kinds of food, and music, and fun! We should have one when we get back.”

“Sounds great,” replied Catra, smiling. She couldn't imagine it, a party. She couldn't imagine the Princesses wanting to do anything fun when Adora brought her back, either, especially if Adora couldn't stay She-Ra for longer than a few minutes. Even Adora's friends might not stay so friendly if Adora wasn't useful to them anymore. 

Catra didn't know what the future held, whether she'd traded one prison for another. She didn't think the Princesses would be thrilled to have another Horde soldier in their midst, even if Catra had now left the Horde. She'd left everything behind, hadn't she? Power and respect and being good at something. For what?

Adora turned back and smiled at her.

“I love you,” she said softly. Catra's mind stilled.

Right. For Adora.

“Love you too.”

Worth it.

**Author's Note:**

> I love both the book and movie versions of The Princess Bride, and I used both in my story. It wasn't difficult at all to decide Catra was Buttercup- all I had to do was remember the line from the book "Her heart was a secret garden, and the walls were very high." And Adora as Westley (a less bitter Westley) was a no-brainer. The biggest blow to these roles for them was when Catra was the one who always knew she'd been in love with Adora, whereas in this story it's the opposite. By then, though, I'd already started writing, and I think what I have works well enough.
> 
> I wanted to do a Princess Bride AU, but I didn't want to push the story too close into the mold, which might have forced certain characters to act in certain ways that didn't make sense given their canon characterization. So I looked at SPOP and looked at the Princess Bride and tried to find a plot that worked for both. The Princess Rebellion ended up a little more hard-hearted and suspicious, but I think that's something that would be interesting to explore anyway. Trying to figure out how Catra knowing she was loved before everything went down was fun- so much of her anger was about feeling abandoned and unloved, so what would change if she had the bone-deep certainty that Adora loved her?
> 
> The Princess Bride (movie and book) shifts perspective partway through from Buttercup to Westley, and I thought about doing that too, but in the end I decided to stick with a tighter POV and keep the focus on Catra. My very very first draft also had Scorpia & Entrapta and Bow & Glimmer coming together at the end to be sort of fusions of Inigo and Fezzik, but that was a mess. So I ended up streamlining some. I like to think it works.


End file.
